Once you’ve figured out that you meet the funder’s requirements for their grant application, the
next step is to determine if your project will be competitive enough to justify the time and
resources required to prepare the grant application.
Many grant guidelines will provide evaluation criteria that tell you how evaluators will be scoring applications. If this information is available to you, use it. The evaluation criteria will establish the relative importance of various components of the project to the funder. You can use that information to align your project with what the funder is interested in supporting.
Some funding agencies publish a list of projects funded in previous grant cycles, occasionally including copies of the submitted proposals. This information can provide invaluable insight into the program’s giving habits. Look for trends and compare how well your project and organization would fit in with their award history.
Utilize the program officer or contact person at the funding agency you’re researching. They are responsible for managing the application process and can be an incredible resource when
determining your competitiveness. Ask questions, be prepared, and listen carefully. Be open to receiving any information they are able to share.
Keep in touch with Dig Deep so you can be among the first to know when grant opportunities
open up.
